Talking About Colombia

In brief, here’s the horror that the flooding and landslides left behind:

310 casualties
2,220,482  Colombians affected
292 wounded
62 disappeared by the rainstorms
5,600 homes destroyed
325,379 damaged homes
148,890 reported cases of dengue fever
109,347 reported cases of malaria
470,783 equivalent of a week’s worth of donated groceries

The area most hurt was the Caribbean Coast with 1,405,397 affected, specially in the departments of Bolívar, Magdalena and Atlántico, according to the Ministry of the Interior.

The government’s priority is to discourage rural people from migrating to the cities where they are most likely to end up being swallowed by greater poverty.

The second priority is to avoid the spread of sickness and epidemics caused by the floods.

Government authorities calculate $12 billion pesos are needed for a vast plan to relocate entire towns, reconstruct roads, humanitarian aid, and long-term projects.